The Secretary of State for Illinois is the keeper of the official records, laws, and Great Seal of the U.S. state of Illinois. These duties have remained unchanged since Illinois became a state in 1818.

In addition, the Secretary of State shall perform other duties that may be prescribed by law. By statute, the Illinois secretary of state is tasked with the duty of issuing licenses to Illinois-registered motor vehicles and their drivers. Enforcement of these duties has made the secretary of state's office a key bureau in the enforcement of driving-under-the-influence or DUI laws. In addition, the secretary of state is the Illinois state librarian and is the custodian of the Illinois state capitol.

Term of office

Secretary of State is an elected office within the executive branch of the state government. The election is held every four years in November, and the secretary assumes office the following January. There are no term limits. [1]

Facilities

The secretary of state's office occupies three buildings of the Illinois Capitol Complex in Springfield, Illinois. Many of the Secretary of State's workers assigned to motor vehicle and licensing duties work in the Howlett Building, south of the Capitol. The Illinois State Library is located in the Brooks Library, east of the Capitol, and the State Archives are housed in the Norton Building, southwest of the Capitol.

In addition, the Secretary of State operates 136 Driver Services license-issuing facilities statewide.